Method of producing gas from peat.



No. 7|6,455. Patented Dec. 23, I902..

L. L. MERRIFIELO.

METHOD OF PRODUCING GAS FROM PEAT.

(Application filed June 24, 1901. Renewed Nov. 21, 1902.) (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet I.

N0. 7l6,455. Patented UB0. 23, I902.

L. L. MERRIFIELD.

METHOD OF PRODUCING GAS FROM PEAT.

. (Application filed June 24, 1901. Renewed Nov. 21, 1902. (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Shaet 2.

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No. 7l6,455. Patented Dec. 23, I902.

L. L. MERRIFIELD. METHOD OF PRODUCING GAS FROM PEAT. (Application filed June 24, 1901. Renewed Nov. 21, 1902.)

3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

(No Model.)

Wanna 50 @j/ p mime ATENT OFFICE- LEONARD LANCASTER MERRIFIELD, OF TORONTO, CANADA, ASSIGNOR TO EDWIN JAMES CHECKLEY AND ECONOMICAL GAS APPARATUS CON- STRUCTION COMPANY, LIMITED, OF TORONTO, CANADA, A CORPORA- TION OF CANADA.

METHOD OF PRODUCING GAS FROM PEAT.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent No. 716,45 5, dated December 23, 1902. Application filed June 24, 1901. Renewed November 21. 1902. Serial No. 132,297. (No specimens.)

To all whom i may concern: the bed of peat at the bottom of the grate in- Be it known that I, LEONARD LANCASTER candescent, as will hereinafter appear. MERRIFIELD, mechanical engineer, of the city Surrounding the chambers D D at the botof Toronto, in the county of York, in the tom are a series of passage-Ways 6 extend- 5 Province of Ontario, Canada, have invented ing radially outwardlyinto an annular cham- 55 a certain new and useful Improved Method ber e These passage-Ways are designed to of Producing Gas from Peat and other Orconvey the gas from the bottom of the chamganic Substances, of which the following isa ber to the conduit leading to the main, as specification. will hereinafter appear. At-the inwardly ex- My invention relates to an improved proctending or tapered upper portion ofthecham- 6o ess or method for producing gas from peat, bcr D, I provide a series of openings or passawdust, and other organic substances; and sage-ways d, which extend vertically upthe object of the invention is to devise an im- Wardly into annular chambers D which are proved process whereby that portion of the connected together at the top by a cross pasgas which is non-combustible is converted sage-way D into which extends the gas-out- 65 into combustible gases, and thereby matelet flue I. The outlet-flueI is provided with rially increase the amount of combustibles in a suitable valve i, which is manipulated the resultant gases; and such process consists through the valve-stem t" and handle 0?. in the mode of treatment which I shall pres- J represents suitable charging-hoppers at 2o ently describe. the top, which are made in any suitable man- 70 Figure 1 is a perspective View, partially ner, such as may be found most convenient from the rear, showing the general form of and suitable. my gas-machine, portion of the casing being It will be noticed on reference to Fig. 1 broken away to exhibit the mechanism. Fig. that the outlet-flue I is connected at the top 2 is a vertical section looking from the front. by the branch I with the conduit J, which is 75 Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the producers located and supported in the main rectanguwith the vertical flues omitted to show the lar chamber K. It will also be noticed that arrangement and working of the valves more I provide a passage-way e at the back of clearly. each chamber D, which communicates with In the drawings like letters of reference inthe outlet-pipes e, which in turn communi- 8o dicate corresponding parts in each figure. cate with the conduit J, being provided, A is the shell of the machine, and B a cenhowever, at the top or end with a cap 6, tral partition. which may be opened or closed, as the occa- C is the lining of fire-brick, which is so sion may require, the cap shown in the drawformed as to form two chambers DD of equal ings, however, being open. 85

area, at the bottom of which are located the The conduit J connects by means of a pipe grates E E. Each of the chambers D D has j with a conduit J at the bottom of which located above it a retort F, which is in the is an opening J to which is connected a pipe form of a frustum of a cone. It will be nofor conducting gas to any desired point.

0 ticed that the lower portions of the chambers L is an opening leading into a fresh-air con- 0 D D are tapered, as shown. It will be noduit L,which extends around the conduit J ticed also that the ash-pit G has a substanand central partition L around the conduit tially conical bottom G, provided with a suit- J and down to the bottom thereof, whence it able valve g, the chute g of which extends passes through by the pipe Z into the bottom into a water seal g The shell is supported of the ash-pit immediately below the grate. 5 on suitable hollow standards A. The grates The outer end of each conduit Z is provided E are revolving grates and are provided with with a cap Z, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 3. the central perforated dome 6, covered with It will now be seen that there are practically fire clay or bricks 8, also provided with pertwo pipes for the admission of the fresh air forations. These perforations serve to keep into the bottoms of the retorts and two pipes "or caps e and l.

, always opened simultaneously with the cap 6 on the opposite side, so that the draft through the pipe Z on the one side passes up through the incandescent peat and carries the gas down through the passage-ways e and outletpipe e on the opposite side.

. I shall not describe the working of the valves,

as it is not necessary for the understanding of my process. I shall,however,first describe the manner of starting the fire, so that the process or method may be practiced. The chambers D and D are filled with peat fuel or sawdust or other organic substances up to about a point slightly above the gas-outlet (1. Fire is then kindled in both chambers and the caps l are adjusted so as to be raised and open, while the caps e close the pipes a as hereinbefore described. When the fuel in the chambers D and D is brought to a proper degree of temperature-viz., that of incandescenceone cap e is then opened by suitable mechanism to operate simultaneously with the cap Z on the other side-that is to say, the two diagonally-situated caps of the gas-outlet and draft-inlet pipes are then arranged to act in unison. It will thus be seen that when the cap (2 is open, so as to uncover the pipe 6 the diagonally-situated cap Z is also open so as to uncover the pipe Z. A forced draft by any suitable means created is preferably used and forced through the pipe Z into the bottom of the chamber D, the gas from the incandescent peat being thereby forced through the passage-ways d and cross passage-ways D and annular passage-ways D through the passage-way d at the opposite side, whence the gas passes down through the second bed of incandescent peat and out through the gas-openings a into the pipe e thence out through the conduits J and J to the main gas-supply pipe.

In order to keep the bed of peat in each chamber incandescent, it is necessary to frequently change the valves or caps, closing the draft and gas-outlet pipes, which work in unison to throw the caps which are closed open and the caps which are open closed. The main draft thus would be directed through the adjacent chamber in identically the same manner and down through the opposite chamber by the passage-ways hereinbefore referred to, thence through the outlet-pipe. Not only may the air be admitted through the pipe L, but also steam may be admitted through this pipe and the air and steam passing through the grate E and perforated cone into the fuel, where partial combustion takes place, the resultant gases, with portion of the moisture in the peat, passing up through the flues or passage-ways, as hereinbefore described. I find in practice it is necessary to change the position of the valves or caps for the pipes e and Z frequently to produce the best effects. It will thus be seen from this description that my take-conduits in which the fresh air is introduced at the bottom of the chamber, so as to produce the draft. It will now be clearly understood that the heated gas as it passes out has the result of heating the air passing into the retort,which is an important desideratum.

It will be noticed that by introducing the peat in the conical retorts F F and surrounding such retorts by passage-ways through which the heated gas passes I am enabled to eliminate a great deal of moisture in the peat rawly fed which is in the retorts F F. It will be of course understood there is a constant supply of peat in the retorts, so as to keep them practically full.

The reversing of the direction ofthe draft through the chambers is governed by the amount of carbon dioxid in the resultant gases, and the change is made at such periods that the temperature of the coke in the second chamber is'always kept sufficiently high to decompose the tarry matter, and the flames due to the oxidation of the gases in the first chamber bring the fuel to a bright-red heat,

and in the descent of the gases through the incandescent-carbon column in the second chamber the carbon dioxid is converted into carbon monoxid and the water-vapors into carbon monoxid and hydrogen. The peat or carbonaceous material is fed in onto the top of both fuel-beds in the generators, and as the escape of the gases is below the upper surface of each incandescent fuel-bed any dust or dirt introduced cannot be carried forward into the flues, and therefore no tar or watervapors can escape from the generator. In my method also it will be seen that the gas is generated in one chamber and passes out from 'such chamber at the point between the non-incandescent carbonaceous material and the incandescent carbonaceous material, thence into the adjacent chamber at the same point-that is, between the non-incandescent carbonaceous material and the incandescent materialthus the taking of excessive moisture from the non-incandescent carbonaceous material is avoided, as would otherwise be the case were the gas to pass through the nonincandescent carbonaceous material. Such moisture as is taken is carried from the one chamber into the other and forms hydrogen. By the method I employ CO is converted into 00. It will also be understood in my method that the feeding-hoppers are kept supplied all the time by any suitable continuous feed and that the moist material at the bottom of the feeding-retort will necessarily contain very much less moisture than at the top of the retort, and consequently will have little or no effect in cooling the incandescent body, beneath which it is important to keep it at as high a degree of temperature as is possible.

The clinker and uncombustible matter gradually falls to the base of the fuel, where they are removed by a shaking or revolving grate and fall into the hopper-bottom, which is provided with a valve, as described, where they give up all the sensible heat to the incoming air and steam, and from the hopper-bottom drop from time to time through the valve into the water seal and after the valve is closed can be withdrawn without stopping the production of gas. These generators permit of peat and wood sawdust or bituminous-coal slake or shales to be employed to make gas for gas-machines, gas-stoves, and furnaces and remove the difficulty of flue-deposits of carbon and tar,the common associates of every single gas-producer.

After a great deal of experiment I have found that I am enabled to practically eliminate the carbonic-acid and water-vapors or non-combustible gas,or, more properly,to convert them into carbonic oxid and hydrogen, which passes out through the flue into the preheating device, hereinbefore described, where the sensible heat of the gas is taken up by the air which surrounds the flues and travels in the opposite direction, the gas passing through the outlet J to washers, scrubbers, condensers, or gas-holders or where required.

What I claim as my invention is 1. The herein-described process of making gas from peat, and similar material containing an excess of moisture, which consists in feeding the said material into a suitable producer, raising the material in the lower part of the producer to incandescence, thereby Vaporizing the excess of moisture of the fresh supplies in the upper part of the producer, drawing off all the gas and vaporized moisture from a point between the freshly-fed fuel and the incandescent material,substantially as described.

2. The herein-described process of making gas from peat and similar material, containing an excess of moisture which consists in feeding the said material to a suitable producer, raising the material in the lower part to incandescence, thereby vaporizing the excess of moisture of the fresh supplies introduced into the upper part, drawing oif all gas and the vaporized moisture from a point between the freshly-fed fuel and the incandescent fuel, and conveying the mixture through a body of incandescent material, substantially as described.

3. The herein-described process of making gas from peat and similar material containing an excess of moisture, which consists in feeding the said material to a pair of connected producers, raising the material in the lower parts of said producers to incandescence, thereby vaporizing the excess of moisture of the fresh supplies in the upper part of both of the producers, drawing off all the gas and the vaporized moisture from points between the freshly-fed fuel and the incandescent material, and conveying the mixture through the incandescent material only in the second producer, and then reversing the operation, substantially as described.

LEONARD LANCASTER MERRIFIELD.

Witnesses L. TRIMBLE, R. SHIELDS. 

